David Donnell (born 13 October 1939, died 2020) was a Canadian poet and writer. Born in St. Marys,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Donnell moved to

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

in 1958 before publishing his first book. Poems (1961), During this period Donnell frequented the

Bohemian Embassy The Bohemian Embassy was a coffeehouse and cultural venue in Toronto, Canada, that opened in June 1960 and operated continually in different sites and formats until the early 1990s. Comedian and actor Don Cullen was associated with the establishm ...

, where

Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of non-fiction, ...

, Gwendolyn MacEwen, Milton Acorn, and other poets established their reputations. In conjunction with

John Robert Colombo John Robert Colombo, CM (born March 24, 1936) is a Canadian author, editor, and poet. He has published over 200 titles, including major anthologies and reference works. Early life Colombo was born in Kitchener, Ontario, in 1936. He attended t ...

, Donnell printed Atwood's first book ''Double Persephone'' (1961) Donnell Published ''The Blue Sky'' poems 1974-77 examining the relationships of his life from an oblique perspective, then ''Dangerous Crossings'' (1980) followed by ''A Poem About Poland''. Donnell won the Canadian Comic Poet Award in 1981, and the 1983 Governor General's Award for English language poetry for his collection ''Settlements''. Donnell continued publishing with ''Water Street days'' (1989) where he examines his past and his childhood; the poems are narrative confessions; and ''China blues'' (1992). Donnell's poetry offers perspectives about city life and the stresses and ironic staples of urban life. Donnell's poetry is known for its escalating fascination with prose fiction that becomes more dominant in the final sections of ''China Blues'' and ''Water Street Days'', and becoming an important feature in his publishing of ''Dancing In The Dark'' (1996). David Donnell also received the Therafields Chapbook Award in 1986 and the

City of Toronto Book Award The Toronto Book Awards are Canadian literary awards, presented annually by the City of Toronto government The municipal government of Toronto ( incorporated as the City of Toronto) is the local government responsible for administering the city ...

in 1993.

Works

*''Poems'' (1969) *''The Blue Sky'' (1977) / 0-88753-032-X *''Dangerous Crossings'' (1980) *''Hemingway in Toronto'' (1982) *''Settlements'' (1983) *''The Blue Ontario Hemingway Boat Race'' (1985) . *''The Natural History of Water'' (1986) *''Water Street Days'' (1989) *''China Blues: Poems and Stories'' (1992) *''crab cakes w/blueberries'' (1995) *''Dancing in the Dark'' (1996) *''Sometimes a Great Notion'' (2004)

References

External links

Donnell
in

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available f ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Donnell, David Living people 1939 births 20th-century Canadian poets 20th-century Canadian male writers Canadian male poets 21st-century Canadian poets Governor General's Award-winning poets People from Perth County, Ontario Writers from Ontario 21st-century Canadian male writers